Infiniment COTY

created with Ideogram AI and Adobe Photoshop

For over 100 years, Coty has scented the world. Francois Coty's Chypre (1917)--the first chypre-style perfume--is legendary, as are L'Origan (1907), Emeraude (1921), and L'Aimant (1927). They're also famous for drugstore cheapies like Wild Musk (1972), Sand & Sable (1981), Stetson (1981), Ex'cla-ma'tion (1988), Vanilla Fields (1993), and does anyone else remember Smitty (1976)? Coty is also the company behind designer brands like Burberry, Philosophy, Marc Jacobs, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Etro, Chloe, and Calvin Klein. And now they've launched their own prestige brand, Infiniment COTY. 

To learn more about this line, don't go to the Infiniment COTY site, which is big on photos but rather skimpy with introductory text. The following comes from the Jovoy Paris website.  

I am a molecule, I am an aura

The language of INFINIMENT COTY PARIS is that of “augmented” nature, supported by avant-garde science and the noblest ingredients in perfumery. Proudly conveying their messages, the highly concentrated compositions incorporate innovative technology that preserves and amplifies the fragrance’s power and evocative charm, like a prism diffracting light.

It is called Molecular Aura, patent-pending technology that controls the evaporation of precious olfactory molecules, extending the fragrance’s signature up to 30 hours, and transcending the ephemeral aspect of top and heart notes that have dictated fragrance expression up until now.

When fragrance is transcended, emotion is revealed

The 14 fragrances of INFINIMENT COTY PARIS cover the main families of positive human emotions. Each fragrance is linked to a specific emotion proven and measured by neuroscience, acting as an emotion generator. These families include sensuality, pleasure, tenderness, self-esteem and more.

Minimal packaging, maximal performance

Created and designed by Nicolas, the bottle stands as an ode to minimalism. In an extremely complex feat of asymmetry, it reveals a perfectly flat face on one side and boldly pronounced facets on another, single-handedly epitomizing the spirit of the entire collection. In it is the strength of opposites; rounded femininity and vertical masculinity; generous forms and materials; the immaculate white of a blank page from which everything begins.

By virtue of the spherical cap sitting atop the bottle, it also reprises the graphic aspect of the letter “i”. This “i” stands for “I am,” evoking the singularity of each of us that underpins this collection.

It's all rather artsy-fartsy (and possibly AI-generated) isn't it? I suppose that at $290 for 75ml, it has to seem worth the dough. I wish I could find more information on which scent was linked to which specific emotion, but I cannot. And since I'm not being paid for my time here, I'm only willing to dig so deep. In any case, I got my hands on samples of 5 of the 14 scents, courtesy of @angiesmellstheroses (Instagram & TikTok).

None of these are groundbreaking, but boy, are they nice.

Après L'Amour

Tobacco, Labdanum, Ginger

This doesn't smell anything like I expected, but then, I've never been a smoker. My Dad smoked a pipe, so when I see the word "tobacco," I think of the delicious-smelling sweet stuff he regularly puffed. Not cigarettes. And the only experience I have with cigarettes is the disgusting smell of them being smoked. Fortunately, the tobacco in Après L'Amour is virgin tobacco, as yet unsullied by either a paper wrapper or a match. To me, this scent smells like a leather pouch filled with tobacco. At first it's bone-dry, but as it dries down, there's a hint of spicy sweetness. Though one might think a scent like this would lean masculine, there are faint undertones of powdery cosmetics, so the leather tobacco pouch would be just as comfortable residing in a woman's purse as in a man's jacket pocket. 

Aristo Chypre

Patchouli, Chypre Notes, Rose

Chypres are not what they used to be, what with all the IFRA regulations on the use of oakmoss. That said, I've smelled many a modern chypre that wears the category with honor. Aristo Chypre is really more of a dirty rose scent with aspirations of chypre-tude. It's an unwashed panties kind of dirty, especially when first applied. As it settles in, it gets much cleaner, almost soapy. There are some other floral notes in this, maybe something fresh and fruity as well (apple comes to mind). 

Encore Une Fois

Vanilla Planifolia, Bourbon Vanilla, Peru Balsam

This is a lovely, grown-up, vanilla. It smells a bit like straight alcohol at first, but that mellows into more of a booziness that is somehow powdery at the same time. This scent is sexy, without being overt, like a hint of lacy camisole peeking out from under a blouse. Encore Une Fois is not very sweet and has a definite woodiness, and the long drydown has a powdery almost-rootbeer thing going on. I've seen it compared to Guerlain Spiriteuese Double Vanille; they're in the same family, I suppose, but SDV is sweeter, boozier, stronger, and more complex, and I prefer it. Still, Encore is quite nice and I would definitely wear it if someone gave me a bottle.

Or de Moi

Tuberose, Moss, Chypre Notes

My first thoughts at sniffing Or de Moi were "oh!" followed by "1980 power perfume." This is most definitely a tuberose fragrance, but a surprisingly subtle, non-screechy one. It's somewhat powdery, and even rather staid. Yet at the same time, while the tuberose itself is (somewhat) restrained, the entirety of the scent took me straight back to the loud and over-the-top days of giant room-filling perfumes: the1980s. There are ghosts of Giorgio and Prescriptives Calyx haunting this, along with big hair and suits with shoulder pads. 

Soleil d'Ikosim

Orange Blossom, Neroli, Vetiver

I'm crazy for orange blossom/neroli fragrances, and this one is lovely. It has both candied orange blossom and green neroli, anchored by an earthy and somewhat leathery vetiver. But I'm not sure if the Molecular Aura is working properly with this scent. Four hours in and it's faded quite a bit; I seriously doubt it will be at all noticeable in 12 hours, much less 30. And my skin is good at holding onto scent. This one is my favorite of the five, and I look forward to trying the other 9 at some point. There is a new Infiniment COTY boutique in NY, up near the Met, that seems worth a visit at some point unless Bergdorf's or Saks starts carrying the line.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.